Separate but connected
They draw us in
Purporting to push us out.
All so simple and seemingly harmless,
The ties that bind us
Formed on invisible networks.

We condense conversations into bits,
Passing notes without paper.
Words of our hearts made more manageable
By allowing our fingers to speak for us.

I begrudge the realness I feel
In spite of the artifice
That I know exists.
But I can’t deny that I hear your laughs
And feel the weight
Of the silent discussions.

I don’t want to hold my world
In the palm of my hand.
I just want to be close
Enough to touch.